Dual phase catalysts system for mixed olefin hydrations

ABSTRACT

Processes for producing mixed alcohols from mixed olefins and the catalyst systems for making such alcohols are provided. Additionally, processes for producing fuel compositions having mixed alcohols prepared from mixed olefins are also provided as embodiments of the present invention. The catalyst systems include a dual phase catalyst system that includes a water soluble acid catalyst and a solid acid catalyst.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/946,014, filed Nov. 15, 2010. For purposes of United States patentpractice, this application incorporates the contents of the priorApplication by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to processes for making alcohols fromolefins using a dual phase catalyst system and related compositions.

2. Description of the Related Art

Internal combustion engines are commonly used on mobile platforms, inremote areas or in lawn and garden tools. There are various types ofinternal combustion engines. Spark type engines compress volatile fuels,such as gasoline, before ignition. Compression type engines take in airand compress it to generate the heat necessary to ignite the fuel, suchas diesel.

Although hydrocarbon fuels are the dominant energy resource for suchengines, alcohols, especially methanol and ethanol, have been used asfuels. In the 1970s, gasohol, a blend of mostly gasoline with someethanol, was introduced during the Arab oil embargo. The primary alcoholfuel currently is ethanol Ethanol is generally blended into gasoline invarious quantities, normally at 10%, which typically results in a higheroctane rating than regular gasoline. E-85 fuel contains 85% ethanol and15% gasoline and M-85 has 85% methanol and 15% gasoline. Unfortunately,at that time, many of the elastomeric engine seals, hoses and gasketcomponents were designed only for gasoline or diesel and deterioratedwith the use of ethanol. Furthermore, the engines had to be equippedwith fluorinated elastomers to run ethanol- based fuels.

Further limitations exist with respect to the use of grain-based fuels.For example, grain ethanol is expensive to produce. Furthermore,producing sufficient quantities of grain ethanol to satisfy the needs ofthe transportation industry is not practical because food crops and feedcrops are and have been diverted into fuel. In addition, both methanoland ethanol have relatively low energy contents when compared togasoline on a volumetric basis. Methanol contains about 50,000Btu's/gallon and ethanol contains about 76,000 Btu's/gallon whilegasoline contains about 113,000 Btu's/gal.

Long chain alcohols are often used together with amines/anilines asinhibitors to prevent metal corrosion and rubber/plastics swellingscaused by the ethanol fuels. These long chain alcohols, such asdodecanol, can also be used as emulsifying agents. Mixed low costmethanol and ethanol were used together with long chain alcohols to formalcohol blended diesels or used as emulsifying diesel adjustors.However, long chain alcohols are relatively expensive to produce. Themethanol-based and ethanol-based diesels also suffer from the drawbackthat they need other additives, such as long chain alcohols, alkylesters and fatty acids to maintain a minimum Cetane number above 40 andto assure the diesel burns efficiently.

Some time ago, lead was added to gasoline to boost its octane rating,thereby improving the antiknock properties of gasoline. Lead is beingeliminated in most countries from gasoline for environmental reasons. Inresponse to the need to phase out lead, gasoline sold in the UnitedStates and many other countries was blended with up to 15% volumes ofmethyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE), an oxygenate, in order to raise theoctane rating and to reduce environmentally harmful exhaust emissions.The industry is replacing MTBE with the use of fermented grain ethanol,but as discussed above, producing the necessary quantities of grainethanol to replace MTBE is problematic in specific regions.

Another additive that has been used in fuels is MethylcyclopentadienylManganese Tricarbonyl (MMT). MMT has been a controversial gasolineadditive for many years. MMT is able to increase octane but it increasesemissions, which may have an adverse effect on health and exhaustcatalytic conversion systems.

In lieu of these questionable additives, alcohols, such as butanols, canbe used as combustible neat fuels or an oxygenate fuel additives orconstituents in various types of fuels. When used as an oxygenate fuel,the BTU content is closer to the energy content of gasoline than many ofthe methanol or ethanol based fuels, as shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Properties of Butanols as compared to Gasoline Heat of EnergyAir-Fuel Specific Vaporiza- Fuel Density Ratio Energy tion RON MONGasoline 32 14.6 2.9 0.36 91-99  81-89   Butanols 29.2 11.1 3.3 0.4396-110 78-99.5

Alcohols can be prepared from olefins. There are no particularlyeffective olefin hydration processes, however, in place to convert mixedolefins into alcohols, especially butenes into butanols.

Hydrations of butenes to butanols are commercially important reactionsas the products find several important industrial applications. Butanolshave been deemed as second generation fuel components after ethanol.These butanols can be used as solvents or chemical intermediates for theproduction of corresponding ketones, esters, ethers, etc.

Butanols produced through typical bio-routes are not efficient and wouldnot produce enough quantity to meet the demanding needs of the butanolmarket. Hydration, which is normally an acid catalyzed reaction, can beused, but it is costly. Because organic butenes have very low solubilityin water, relatively strong acids are often required to achieve thedesired kinetics to convert the butenes to alcohols. Other processesused to produce butanols are also expensive. For example, petrochemicalroutes to produce mixed butanols by hydroformation and hydrogenationfrom propylene and carbon monoxide are costly.

A conventional commercial method of production of secondary butylalcohol includes using a two step processes in which the n-butenes arereacted with excess sulfuric acid (80%) to form the correspondingsulfate which is hydrolysed to SBA as follow:

-   -   n-C₄H₈+H₂SO₄→2-C₄H₉OSO₃H    -   2-C₄H₉OSO₃H+H₂O→2-C₄H₉OH +H₂SO₄        During this process, the sulfuric acid becomes diluted to about        35% concentration by weight and must be re-concentrated before        it can be reused. The advantage of the process is its high        conversion rate. However, many additional problems are usually        associated when using such liquid catalysts. Among the problems        are separation and recovery of the catalyst, corrosion of        equipment and installations, and formation of byproducts such as        secondary butyl ether, isopropyl alcohol, C₅-C₈ hydrocarbons,        and polymers. Some of these by-products complicate the        purification of SBA.

Cationic exchange resins and zeolite are potentially important acidcatalysts for olefin hydration. The cationic exchange resins are knownto offer substantial rates in both polar and non-polar media. Attemptshave been made to use sulfonated polystyrene resins cross linked withdivinyl benzene as catalysts for the hydration of olefins such aspropylene or butene. These types of catalyst systems offer severalengineering benefits, such as ease in separation and provide anon-corrosive environment.

Butenes are sparingly soluble in water and form separated phases underthe reaction conditions especially when butenes are used in asufficiently large quantity. The butanol, being relatively non-polar,has a favorable distribution as a significant amount of butanols formedis expected to exist in the butene rich organic phase. Hence,simultaneous extraction during the course of the reactions might help inshifting the reversible reaction in the forward direction.

In spite of the currently available processes, there is no particularlyeffective route to produce mixed butanols through an economic route.Furthermore, the conversion rates of olefin hydration are low at lessthan 10% per pass.

A need exists for processes and systems that would allow for the directcatalytic hydration of alkenes to alcohols. It would also be beneficialif the processes and systems were inexpensive and provided a route toindustrially useful alcohols and a convenient synthetic route for thesynthesis of alcohols in general.

Additionally, there is a need for an additive or fuel that has improvedoctane rating as compared to gasoline and increased efficiency ofcombustion. There is a need for a fuel that reduces harmful emissionsand airborne soot when combusted, either in neat form or as a fuelconstituent.

There is also a need to provide a fuel of similar octane and BTU valueto gasoline but without the use of tetraethyl lead, MTBE, methanol,ethanol, or MMT. It would also be desirable to provide a fuel additivethat lowers the Reid Vapor Pressure of the fuel at least as well as, butwithout the use of, MTBE. It would be helpful if such fuels or additiveswould include mixed alcohols that are produced from mixed olefinstreams.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, processes for producing alcohols from olefinsand the catalyst systems for making such alcohols are provided asembodiments of the present invention. Additionally, processes forproducing fuel compositions having alcohols prepared from olefins arealso provided as embodiments of the present invention.

For example, as an embodiment of the present invention, a process forproducing alcohols from olefins is provided. In this embodiment, a mixedolefin stream is contacted with a dual phase catalyst system to producea mixed alcohol stream. The dual phase catalyst system includes a watersoluble acid catalyst and a solid acid catalyst.

As another embodiment of the present invention, a process for producinga fuel composition from olefins is provided. In this embodiment, a mixedolefin stream is contacted with a dual phase catalyst system to producea mixed alcohol stream. The dual phase catalyst system includes a watersoluble acid catalyst and a solid acid catalyst. The mixed alcoholstream is then combined with a fuel component to produce the fuelcomposition. The fuel component of the fuel composition can be gasoline,diesel, jet fuel, aviation gasoline, heating oil, bunker oil, orcombinations thereof.

Besides the process embodiments, a dual phase catalyst system for theproduction of mixed alcohols from mixed olefins is provided as anembodiment of the present invention. The dual phase catalyst systemincludes a water soluble acid catalyst and a solid acid catalyst.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Processes for producing alcohols from olefins and the catalyst systemsfor making such alcohols are provided as embodiments of the presentinvention. Additionally, processes for producing fuel compositionshaving alcohols prepared from olefins are also provided as embodimentsof the present invention.

For example, as an embodiment of the present invention, a process forproducing alcohols from olefins is provided. In this embodiment, a mixedolefin stream is contacted with a dual phase catalyst system to producea mixed alcohol stream. The dual phase catalyst system includes a watersoluble acid catalyst and a solid acid catalyst.

As used herein, “dual phase” catalyst system refers to a combination oftwo different types of acid catalysts that have been used individuallyto convert specific types of olefins into specific types of alcoholsi.e., 2-butanol and t-butanol. Use of the term “dual phase” does notnecessarily mean that two actual phases are present in the dual phasecatalyst system. One of the catalysts in the dual phase catalyst systemis soluble in water, while the other is not. The dual phase catalystsystem of the present invention is capable of hydrating the mixed olefinstream without separating the olefins prior to contacting the mixedolefin stream with the dual phase catalyst system. The dual phasecatalyst system is also capable of producing more than a single type orspecies of alcohol in the mixed alcohol stream. Thus, the resultingmixed alcohol stream contains a plurality of alcohol types.

As another embodiment of the present invention, a process for producinga fuel composition from olefins is provided. In this embodiment, a mixedolefin stream is contacted with a dual phase catalyst system to producea mixed alcohol stream. The dual phase catalyst system includes a watersoluble acid catalyst and a solid acid catalyst. The mixed alcoholstream is then combined with a fuel component to produce the fuelcomposition. The fuel component of the fuel composition can be gasoline,diesel, jet fuel, aviation gasoline, heating oil, bunker oil, orcombinations thereof.

The catalyst system used in embodiments of the present inventionincludes two types of catalysts and is able to catalyze olefin hydrationreactions with enhanced conversion rates. In such dual phase catalystsystems, olefins, such as butenes, propylene, LPG, reffinates of MTBEprocesses, or reffinates of TBA processes, are hydrated simultaneouslywith water to produce corresponding alcohols, such as secondary butylalcohol (SBA), tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), or isopropyl alcohol (IPA).An advantage of this dual phase catalyst system is that the olefinconversion rate of the olefin hydration reactions can increase up to 50%compared with single catalyst systems with the same residence time.

The source of the mixed olefin stream can vary. For example, inembodiments of the present invention, the mixed olefin stream is adischarge stream from a FCC unit, a thermal cracking unit, a reffinatesstream from an MTBE process, a reffinates stream from a TBA process, aliquified petroleum gas (LPG) stream, or combinations thereof. Varioustypes of olefins can be included in the mixed olefin stream. Forexample, in an aspect, the mixed olefin stream can include a mixed C4stream. In an aspect, the mixed olefin stream can include propylene,n-butene, 2-butenes, isobutene, pentenes, hexenes, olefins having morethan 6 carbons with at least two butenes, or combinations thereof. Otherolefins that can be used in embodiments of the present invention includeethylene, propene, butenes, pentenes, or other higher olefins. Othersuitable sources for the mixed olefin stream and types of olefins willbe apparent to those of skill in the art and are to be considered withinthe scope of the present invention.

Most commercialized butene hydration processes are designed either withpure feeds, like 1-butene and iso-butene, or mixed feeds for selectiveiso-butene hydration. The process conditions are selected to maximizethe yield of 2-butanol or yield of t-butanol within the limit of thermaldynamics. Because both 2-butanol and t-butanol are valuable oxygenatesand octane enhancers for the fuels, embodiments of the present inventionuse an effective olefin hydration catalyst system to produce highlydesired butanols, such as 2-butanol and t-butanol, for gasolinecomponents from cheap mixed butenes.

Different butenes have different reaction rates under the same processconditions and catalyzed by the same catalyst. The present inventioncombines the advantages of both liquid acid catalyst and solid acidiccatalyst to maximize the conversion rate of the mixed butene into mixedbutanols.

Although the olefin hydration has been studied extensively, the mainobjective of the hydration is generally to produce one alcohol, notmixed alcohols as is produced by the methods and systems of the presentinvention, to avoid the complication of the separation of the alcohols.

Because most alcohols are good fuel components, it is not necessary toseparate them out. Therefore, a catalyst system that can convert all ofthe mixed olefins into alcohols, as in embodiments of the presentinvention, is highly desirable.

When the mixed alcohol stream primarily contains mixed butanols, themixed alcohol stream produced in embodiments of the present inventioncan be referred to as “petro-butanols.” The predominant butanols can besecondary butyl alcohol (SBA) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) that canbe obtained from mixed C4 olefin streams from an FCC unit or otherthermal cracking units and reffinates of other processes, such as MTBEor TBA. As indicated herein, other suitable sources of olefin streamswill be apparent to those of skill in the art and are to be consideredwithin the scope of the present invention.

The processes described herein can occur in different types ofequipment. For example, in an aspect, the step of contacting the mixedolefin stream can occur in a multi-staged reactor system. In anotheraspect, the step of contacting the mixed olefin stream can occur in asingle reactor system. Other suitable types of process equipment thatcan be used in embodiments of the present invention will be apparent tothose of skill in the art and are to be considered within the scope ofthe present invention.

Besides the process embodiments, a dual phase catalyst system for theproduction of mixed alcohols from mixed olefins is provided as anembodiment of the present invention. The dual phase catalyst systemincludes a water soluble acid catalyst and a solid acid catalyst.

The dual phase catalyst systems of the present invention can include awater soluble acid catalyst and a solid acid catalyst. In an aspect, thewater soluble acid can include an organic acid, an inorganic acid, orcombinations thereof. When the water soluble acid is an organic acid,the organic acid can be acetal acid, tosylate acid, perflurated aceticacid, lactic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, benzoic acid, orcombinations thereof. When the water soluble acid is an inorganic acid,the inorganic acid can be hydrochloric acid (HCl), phosphoric acid(H₃PO₄), sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), hydrofluric acid, heteropoly acids, orcombinations thereof. Particularly suitable water soluble acid catalystsinclude H₃PO₄ or H₃[P(W3O10)4]xH₂O. In an aspect, the solid acidcatalyst can be an ionic exchange resin, a zeolite, a supported acid, orcombinations thereof. An example of a suitable supported acid isphosphoric acid supported on silica. Particularly suitable acidcatalysts are ionic exchange resins, such as Dowex® 50 resin from DowChemical Company, Amberlyst® 15 resin from Rohm and Haas, or D008 resinfrom KaiRui Chemical Co., Ltd., China. Optionally, phase transfer agentsor surfactant catalysts can be added to aid in the olefin hydrationreactions. Other suitable types of catalysts that can be used as thewater soluble acid catalyst or the solid acid catalyst will be apparentto those of skill in the art and are to be considered within the scopeof the present invention.

In an aspect, the water soluble acid catalyst and the solid acidcatalyst are mixed together to form the dual phase catalyst system. Themixing of each component can occur prior to being added to the reactoror in the reactor. Other suitable methods for preparing the dual phasecatalyst system, such as layering the components of the catalyst system,will be apparent to those of skill in the art and are to be consideredwithin the scope of the present invention.

The amount of each catalyst can vary depending upon the mixed olefinstream being sent to the process. In an aspect, the weight ratio of thewater soluble acid catalyst to the solid acid catalyst ranges from about0.01 to about 100 in the dual phase catalyst system. In an aspect, theweight ratio of the water soluble acid catalyst to the solid acidcatalyst is about 1:1. Other suitable amounts of each component of thedual phase catalyst system will be apparent to those of skill in the artand are to be considered within the scope of the present invention.

The dual phase catalyst system is more effective to convert mixedolefins into mixed alcohols than current commercialized single catalystsystems, such as (1) solution processes with sulfuric acid and (2) solidcatalysts with ionic exchange resins. The dual catalyst system of thepresent invention is especially effective for the production of“petro-butanols”, i.e. secondary butyl alcohol (SBA) and tertiary butylalcohol (TBA) from mixed C4 olefin streams of FCC unit or other thermalcracking units and reffinates of other processes such as MTBE or TBA.

The processes and catalyst systems described herein can be used toproduce various types of alcohols. For example, in an aspect, the mixedalcohol stream can include butanols. In another aspect, the mixedalcohol stream can include 2-butanol and t-butanol. The types ofalcohols produced will depend upon the type of olefins contained in themixed olefin stream and the types of catalyst selected. Other types ofalcohol streams that can be produced using the processes and catalystsystems described herein will be apparent to those of skill in the artand are to be considered within the scope of the present invention.

The mixed alcohol stream made in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention can be used as a component in fuel compositions or asa neat fuel composition. For example, in an aspect, a neat fuelcomposition is provided that includes a mixed butanol fuel having anoctane rating suitable for use in combustion or compression engines. Inanother aspect, a fuel composition including a fuel component with amixed butanol fuel is provided. In an aspect, the fuel component caninclude gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, aviation gasoline, heating oil,bunker oil, or combinations thereof. In an aspect, the mixed butanolscan include n-butanol, 2-(+/−)-butanol, iso-butanol, tert-butanol, orcombinations thereof; or alternatively, 2-(+/−)-butanol andtert-butanol. The mixed alcohol streams made in accordance withembodiments of the present invention can be used in other types of fuelcompositions, as will be apparent to those of skill in the art and areto be considered within the scope of the present invention.

Using mixed alcohols, such as mixed butanols, as oxygenate fueladditives or constituents or as a neat fuel has several benefits. Thereare increased combustion efficiencies and reduced emissions of harmfulgases and airborne soot. Other benefits of the mixed olefin fuels arethat the BTU energy content is closer to the energy content of gasolinethan that of methanol/ethanol based fuels. Butanols can be used asoctane enhancers to replace tetra-ethyl-lead, MTBE, methanol, ethanol,MMT and other octane boosters without the negative environmentalimpacts. As another benefit, butanols have low and stable Reid VaporPressure blending characteristics and are much less corrosive thanmethanol/ethanol, which enables them to be used by existing storage andtransportation facilities. Butanol based fuels can be used in existingengines without modifications. Furthermore, butanols are low toxicitycomponents and normally readily biodegradable.

Another advantage of the dual phase catalyst system of the presentinvention is that the catalyst system is able to hydrate mixed olefinwith higher conversion rates than commonly used commercial catalysts.The pre-separation of the olefins that is typically needed is notrequired. By using the methods and systems of the present invention, thewhole fraction of olefins, such as butenes, can be utilized for themanufacture of useful gasoline additives. The lower RVP of the alcohols,such as butanols, will allow larger quantities of higher alkane, such aspentane, additions in gasoline.

A further advantage is that the whole products, particularly butanols,can be utilized as useful fuel components, oxygenates, and octaneenhancers. The produced “petro-butanols” can be used as replacements ofMTBE or ethanol in gasoline.

Example

The following examples are given for the purpose of illustratingembodiments of the present invention. However, it is to be understoodthat these examples are merely illustrative in nature, and that theprocess embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily limitedthereto.

All the pure butenes, inorganic acids, organic acids, ionic exchangeresins, phase transfer agents and ionic liquids were purchased directlyfrom the fine chemical supply market and used without any purification.Zeolites were synthesized according to published methods. The mixedbutenes were obtained from one Saudi Arabia refinery without any otheradditives. The composition of the mixed butenes was determined by GC-MSand the concentrations were determined by GC method with detection limitat 3 ppm. The results are listed in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Contents of the mixed butenes (wt. %) C3═ C3 C4═ (total) 2-t-C4═1-C4═ 2-c-C4═ i-C4═ i-C4 n-C4 i-C5 n-C5 16.32 4.22 48.58 24.39 4.6114.64 4.94 22.00 7.48 1.21 0.19

Butene Hydration

De-ionized water (200 g), a solid phase catalyst (6 g) selectively fromzeolite in acid form, acidic ionic exchange resins, a water soluble acidselectively from H₃PO₄ and organic acids (6 g) and optionally phasetransfer agent (Pr4NBr, 4 g) or/and hydration enhancers like coppericsalts were all placed in a Parr autoclave. The autoclave was sealed andpurged with N₂ at 50 psi for 10 times. Then, 10 mL of pure2-trans-butene from AHG or 20 mL of mixed butenes from a Saudi Arabiarefinery were charged to the autoclave under 50 psi of nitrogen gas. Themole ratio of water to butenes and the mole ratio of butenes to acid arelisted in Table 3. The autoclave was then heated and maintained at atemperature of 150° C. there at for a period of 2-3 hours. At the end ofthis time, heating was discontinued; the autoclave was allowed to cooldown to room temperature for 2 hours before the excess pressure wasvented. The autoclave was then opened and the reaction mixture wasrecovered. The conversion rates and selectivity ratios were determinedby means of gas chromatography. The conversion rates are listed in Table3 with 100% selectivity to butanols unless otherwise indicated.

TABLE 3 Hydration conditions and conversion rates Mass 2-BuOH t-BuOHConv. Selectivity Exp. No. Catalyst (g) (ppm) (ppm) % ratio (2-OH/t-) 1H3PO4, 2 g 2 1092 1284 8.3 0.85 2 Dowex 50WX8-H, 6 g 6 2576 1287 13.3 23 H3PO4, 2 g ′ Dowex 50WX8-H, 6 g 8 2778 1133 14.4 2.5 Reaction Time ofthe set is 5 hrs. 4 H3PO4, 6 g 6 1299 1223 8.9 1 5 Amberlite 15, 6 g 6946 566 5.2 1.7 6 Amberlite 15, H3PO4, 6 g 12 4065 1798 15.6 2.2 7H3[P(W3O10)4]xH2O, 6 g 6 1109 1875 10.2 0.6 8 Dowex 50WX8-H, 6 g 6 25761287 13.3 2 9 Dowex 50WX8-H, 6 g/ 12 3604 1234 16.5 2.9H3[P(W3O10)4]xH2O, 6 g 10 H3[P(W3O10)4]xH2O, 6 g 6 1109 1875 10.2 0.6 11Amberlite 15, 6 g 6 946 566 5.2 1.7 12 Amberlite 15, 6 g/ 12 3057 138114.7 2.2 H3[P(W3O10)4]xH2O, 6 g 13 Tungstosilicic acid hydrate, 6 g 61414 1085 8.6 1.3 14 Amberlite 15, 6 g 6 946 566 5.2 1.7 15 Amberlite15, 6 g/Tungstosilicic 12 2127 953 10.2 2.2 acid hydrate, 6 g 15 mL ofButenes, 200 g of water, 150° C., 200 psi and 3 hrs.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, it shouldbe understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations canbe made hereupon without departing from the principle and scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should bedetermined by the following claims and their appropriate legalequivalents.

The singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural references, unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise.

Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event orcircumstances may or may not occur. The description includes instanceswhere the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does notoccur.

Ranges may be expressed herein as from about one particular value,and/or to about another particular value. When such a range isexpressed, it is to be understood that another embodiment is from theone particular value and/or to the other particular value, along withall combinations within said range.

Throughout this application, where patents or publications arereferenced, the disclosures of these references in their entireties areintended to be incorporated by reference into this application, in orderto more fully describe the state of the art to which the inventionpertains, except when these reference contradict the statements madeherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dual phase catalyst system for the productionof a mixed alcohols from a mixed olefins, the dual phase catalyst systemcomprising: a water soluble acid catalyst that is soluble in water and asolid acid catalyst that is insoluble in water, where the dual phasecatalyst system is capable of hydrating the mixed olefins withoutrequiring separation of the mixed olefins prior to contacting with thedual phase catalyst system, and where the dual phase catalyst system iscapable of converting the mixed olefins into the mixed alcohols at aconversion rate that is greater than either the conversion rate of thewater soluble acid catalyst or the conversion rate of the solid acidcatalyst.
 2. The system of claim 1 where the water soluble acidcomprises an organic acid selected from the group consisting of acetalacid, tosylate acid, perflurated acetic acid, lactic acid, citric acid,oxalic acid, benzoic acid, and combinations thereof.
 3. The system ofclaim 1 where the water soluble acid comprises an inorganic acidselected from the group consisting of HCl, H₃PO₄, H₂SO₄, hydrofluricacid, heteropoly acids, and combinations thereof.
 4. The system of claim1 where the solid acid catalyst is selected from the group consisting ofan ionic exchange resin, a zeolite, a supported acid, and combinationsthereof.
 5. The system of claim 1 where the mixed olefins are selectedfrom the group consisting of propylene, n-butene, 2-butene, isobutene,pentenes, hexenes, olefins having more than 6 carbons, and combinationsthereof.
 6. The system of claim 1 where the conversion rate for the dualphase catalyst system is equal to or greater than about 10%.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1 where the dual phase catalyst system is capable ofconverting the mixed olefins into the mixed alcohols having a ratio of2-butanol to t-butanol that is greater than either the ratio of2-butanol to t-butanol of the water soluble acid catalyst or the ratioof 2-butanol to t-butanol of the solid acid catalyst, and where themixed olefins comprise butenes.
 8. The system of claim 7 where the ratioof 2-butanol to t-butanol for the dual phase catalyst system is equal toor greater than about 2.0.
 9. A process for producing a mixed alcoholsfrom a mixed olefins using a dual phase catalyst system comprising thesteps of: introducing the mixed olefins to the dual phase catalystsystem such that the mixed olefins contact the dual phase catalystsystem; maintaining the dual phase catalyst system such that the mixedolefins convert into the mixed alcohols; and removing the mixed alcoholsfrom the dual phase catalyst system; where the dual phase catalystsystem comprises a water soluble acid catalyst that is soluble in waterand a solid acid catalyst that is insoluble in water, where the dualphase catalyst system hydrates the mixed olefins without requiringseparation of the mixed olefins prior to contacting with the dual phasecatalyst system, and where the dual phase catalyst system converts themixed olefins into the mixed alcohols at a conversion rate that isgreater than either the conversion rate of the water soluble acidcatalyst and the conversion rate of the solid acid catalyst.
 10. Theprocess of claim 9 where the mixed olefins comprise at least two typesof butenes.
 11. The process of claim 9 where the mixed olefins consistessentially of propylene and butenes.
 12. The process of claim 9 wherethe mixed olefins consist essentially of butenes.
 13. The process ofclaim 9 where the mixed olefins consist essentially of 2-butene andisobutene.
 14. The process of claim 9 where the mixed olefins areselected from the group consisting a discharged material from a FCCunit, a discharged material from thermal cracking unit, a raffinate froman MTBE process, a raffinate from a TBA process, a liquefied petroleumgas (LPG), and combinations thereof.
 15. The process of claim 9 wherethe mixed alcohols comprise at least two types of butanols.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15 where the at least two types of butanols compriseboth 2-butanol and t-butanol.
 17. The process of claim 9 where the mixedolefins consist essentially of 2-butene and isobutene and where themixed alcohols consist essentially of 2-butanol and t-butanol.
 18. Theprocess of claim 9 where the conversion rate for the dual phase catalystsystem is equal to or greater than about 10%.
 19. The process of claim 9where the mixed olefins comprise butenes and where the dual phasecatalyst system converts the mixed olefins into the mixed alcohols at aratio of 2-butanol to t-butanol that is greater than either the ratio of2-butanol to t-butanol of the water soluble acid catalyst or the ratioof 2-butanol to t-butanol of the solid acid catalyst.
 20. The process ofclaim 19 where the ratio of 2-butanol to t-butanol for the dual phasecatalyst system is equal to or greater than about 2.0.